Streetwise
This article is about the Miami Vice episode. For the song by Don Johnson, see Streetwise (Song). "Streetwise" is the tenth episode of Miami Vice's third season. The episode premiered on December 5, 1986. Summary The Vice detectives use an on-the-edge undercover cop and the hooker he's in love with to locate the source of pharmaceutical-grade cocaine. Plot The Vice squad and Metro-Dade are executing search warrants on the Ramrod hotel, They find a hooker, Carla Cappoletti (Deborah J. Adair) and her man Vic Romano (Bill Paxton), a Metro cop, with Carla in possession of cocaine, and they take both (along with tons of other prostitutes) to jail. Carla won't reveal where she got the cocaine from. Tubbs gets the lab report and finds it's 100% pharmaceutical grade cocaine. Romano is working Overtown Vice, and got the cocaine from a confidential informant named Roxanne Young. Before Gina and Trudy can locate her, she is taken by a pimp named Silk (Wesley Snipes), who is upset that Roxanne gave Carla the cocaine, and tries to escape with a razor blade, but Silk threatens to cut her up. Meanwhile, Castillo interviews Romano, who is fully aware of Carla's "job". Crockett feels Romano's story is bogus. Castillo is ready to call in IAD, but Crockett wants him to hold off and use Romano to locate Carla's drug source. Trudy finds Roxanne dead, her throat cut. Castillo agrees to hold off, unless Romano tries to contact Carla, then he will be busted. Romano seems reticent about helping, even after Crockett tells him that he's the only thing keeping Castillo from taking his badge, until Crockett tells Romano about Roxanne, and they head to the scene. They find cocaine under Roxanne's nails that match what was found on Carla, and Roxanne's wallet with a bus station locker key - Gina is checking those out. With Silk as the main suspect, Romano agrees to help them. Crockett and Romano are at the Checker Club in Overtown, observing, Romano says he's about to pull Carla off the street, but he has a cover to protect. Crockett doesn't believe it and asks Romano how his wife feels about his associations with Carla, Romano responds that is a separate life, but Crockett asks if it's separate why is he upset about Crockett's questions. Crockett tells him he's crossed the line, and goes to see Silk (as Burnett) in the club to make a deal, Silk doesn't bite. Silk sees his source, Leo Cryson (Tom Mardirosian), who informs him the last shipment of cocaine is missing and to bail Carla out. Castillo wants Tubbs to lean on Carla, and places Romano under house arrest. Crockett takes Romano home and his wife Jennifer says IAD called and wants to see him inside. Crockett speaks to her and finds when Romano calls he sounds burned out, but refuses to be called in from his assignment, and she will stand behind Romano. Carla calls Romano from jail and they talk for a bit, then Gina starts talking to Carla about going with her man, Butch, who is taking over all Silk's action. Trudy is working the streets saying Butch will be taking all the street action, they bust a pimp named Sugarbear and Butch (Tubbs) acts like he owns the police, then gets a call that Carla wants Tubbs to get her out of jail. He does before Silk and his goons arrive to do the same. Silk stops by the club and tries to take Carla with him, but Tubbs tells him to back off, and then beats Silk up and tells him to see him at the Excelsior Hotel if he wants Carla back. Gina recovered the pharm cocaine from the bus locker, no one has stopped by the bus locker to pick it up, and the prosecutor has given Vice full license to use it to stop the leak. Crockett proposes using Carla to deliver the cocaine to Silk to bust him, but she doesn't trust any cops (other than Romano) so Tubbs gives Carla the key to give to Silk, when Carla resists, Tubbs leans on her heavy, when things get physical, Carla falls to pieces, and Tubbs has to admit he's a cop. Castillo wants Crockett to have Romano help. Silk calls Leo who tells him to take out Tubbs and Carla while he takes care of Crockett. Romano speaks to Carla to convince her to take Silk the locker key. She agrees, and sets the meet at the Checker Club. Crockett tells Romano he and Tubbs will be in Romano's corner when IAD delivers the heat for what he did. Then Leo and his men do a drive-by shooting on Crockett, who shoots down a couple of guys and catches one who fills Crockett in. Romano takes the dead shooters' guns and leaves, Crockett cannot raise Tubbs on his phone, but gets a call from Switek they have Leo. Crockett takes the shooter over to Leo who confirms his story, then Crockett leans on Leo to get the meet location. Tubbs and Carla are waiting at the Checker Club, Carla excuses herself to the ladies' room when actually she leaves the club, where Silk and his goon, wearing stockings, are waiting. Romano drives up and a shootout starts, Romano is hit, Tubbs shoots Silk's goon and Crockett kills Silk trying to escape. Romano dies in Carla's arms, and she cries inconsolably. Switek confirms the source was a chemist from Gold Coast University, behind on gambling debts, paid the cocaine as interest. Crockett and Tubbs offer Carla assistance and a full walk so she can clean up. The Vice Squad finishes up their paperwork on the case, and request Romano's suspension be lifted before his funeral and put it in his record that he died trying to get Carla off the streets. Just after Crockett and Tubbs pass by the strip, Carla appears, back hooking again. Cast *Don Johnson as Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett *Philip Michael Thomas as Metro-Dade Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs *Saundra Santiago as Metro-Dade Detective Gina Calabrese *Michael Talbott as Metro-Dade Detective Stan Switek *John Diehl as Metro-Dade Detective Larry Zito *Olivia Brown as Metro-Dade Detective Trudy Joplin *Edward James Olmos as Metro-Dade Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo Guest Stars *Bill Paxton as Metro-Dade Detective Vic Romano *Wesley Snipes as Silk *Deborah J. Adair as Carla Cappoletti *Tom Mardirosian as Leo Cryson Co-Starring * Carl Jay Cofield as Duane * Lisa Adams as Roxanne Young * Marc Macaulay as Hit Driver * David Mandel as Ron Notes * Wesley Snipes (in his first TV appearance) shows his "tough-guy" side like he did in Passenger 57 and Boiling Point. * Tom Mardirosian played FBI Agent McIntyre (who was afraid of Elvis) in the Season 1 Episode "No Exit". * John Diehl (Zito) does not appear in this episode. * Olivia Brown (Trudy) and Whoopi Goldberg performed backup vocals on the song Streetwise. Music *"Streetwise" by Don Johnson (Opening sequence on streets and end sequence in bar) Quotes *"Oh, sorry, must be the fantasy suite!" -- Switek to an S&M couple in a room at the Ramrod Hotel during the raid *"You took a walk on the wild side, only you forgot to come back!" -- Crockett to Romano *"Sugarbear, sounds like a popcorn pimp!" -- Trudy to Sugarbear's girls Category:Miami Vice Season 3 Episodes